Current Affairs

The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, or the AIIB, is an international initiative spearheaded by China to provide new sources of financing for developing countries. It’s been touted as an alternative to the World Bank and the IMF, but what does it have to offer that the Bretton Woods institutions are currently not?

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The Palestinian Authority's membership of the International Criminal Court came into effect on April 1st. This follows the Authority’s ratification of the Rome Statute in December last year. As an official member, Palestine can file its grievances against Israel or any country it claims has committed war crimes against its people. It is seen by some as a major step in Palestine's fight against the occupation by Israel, by bringing it into courtroom. How will this latest strategy affect Palestine's struggle for statehood? We explore.

This is a report by Sherilyn Goh. 

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Amnesty International’s annual worldwide survey “Death Sentences and Executions 2014”, comes out today. The report covers executions, death sentences and other issues related to the use of the death penalty. The human rights NGO claims there was little or no information available countries like Malaysia, North Korea and Syria, last year, due to restrictive state practice and/or political instability. We explore.

Sharyl Kaur, Melanie Abraham and Muhammad Haniff Baharudin contributed to this report.

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France held local elections last month, which was seen as a key test of public opinion ahead of the next presidential election in 2017. The results showed that French voters turned toward right-leaning parties, with Marine Le Pen's far-right National Front making significant gains from their previous showing. Melisa Idris speaks to Professor John R. Bowen from Washington University in St. Louis in the US about how the far-right is redrawing France’s political map, and how the National Front has now firmly established itself as a regular element of the political equation.

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Its the first day of the new tax system and the panic buying that the media has been reporting must come to an end. Today prices go up but by 6% and not for all goods and services. And despite what feels like a year long campaign people are still confused about the tax. So today we present a back to basics of GST show so that you never need to ask "why lobsters no GST but Sardines got?".

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Tomorrow the Government will set in motion a new tax system. One that promises to be broad-based and to help wean the government off its dependence on revenues from our finite oil resources. The Goods and Services tax (GST) which has been set at 6%, has been considered for some years now and has over the last year been the subject of vigorous public debate. But is the general public any clearer about how they will be affected. A late comer to the system - already implemented in much of our region and in most oil-producing economies - will we demonstrate that we have learnt from the best practices available internationally? We explore.

Aziff Azuddin and Nadiah Aziz contributed to this report.

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Current laws to protect animal welfare in Malaysia are inadequate, a fact recognised by the government. In a move to strengthen current legislation, the Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Minister, Ismail Sabri Yaakob, announced the tabling of a new law to promote animal well-being through responsible ownership. We look at the weaknesses of current legislation as well as the new powers this legislation will give to those monitoring everybody from breeders to pet owners.

Melanie Abraham contributed to this report.

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In his first 100 days, Indian Prime Minister Narendran Modi has made it very clear that he is serious on foreign policy. Branded the "Modi Doctrine", he has reached out globally and is proving an influential potential partner. We explore the challenges and also India's possible friction with China, Asia's economic powerhouse.

Aziff Azuddin contributed to this report.

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The federal government and Selangor have restarted talks to restructure the state's water assets, but many details remain unknown about the long awaited agreement. We spoke to Tariq Loong, president of the Water Association of Selangor, KL and Putrajaya, who looks at several issues surrounding the deal, with memories of last year's water rationing still fresh in consumers' minds.

Nadiah Aziz contributed to this report.
This podcast is an edited version of Current Affairs aired this morning. It has been edited for clarity.

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Myanmar’s Kokang region on the border with China has had a long history of conflict. The Myanmar government has been battling the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army, remnants of the Burma Communist Party. However, since February, the situation has intensified as the rebels try to reclaim their territory they were displaced from. Its set off a humanitarian crisis. We get to the heart of the conflict as well as take a closer look at its impact on the country’s democratic agenda.

Melanie Abraham contributed to this report.

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